Liquid-elevator.



A'. A. Mms. LIQUID ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.9,1916. Patented Jan. 29,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES u T, Y .VM

falli Application led August 9, 191.6.

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Be it known that l, .Annnnw A. ATKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mineral, in the county of Louisa and of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid-Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to liquid elevating devices, and aims primarily to provide means of this character which may be eHectually used in lieu of the new generally employed pumps.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a water elevating means adapted parti cularly for use in mines or other such places for raising or removing water therefrom, andwhich employs fluid pressure such as compressed air or steam as its means for elevating the liquid.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which. when once started, operates efliciently without the attention of an engineer or operator, which is composed of comparatively few simple and readily assembled parts, all so constructed and arranged as to prevent wear, breakage or derangement of the same, which is positive in operation, and which will prove thoroughly eflicient in attaining the ends for which it is designed.

With these objects in view, together with others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides `in the novel formation, combination and arrangement of parts, all as will be described hereinafter, illustrated in the drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

he invention will be best understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation, parts broken away, of a liquid elevating device constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view, parts broken away, of the device illustrated in Fig. 1;

3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail section taken through the pressure box and illustrating the valve operating mechanism;

Fig. 4l is a similar view through the main valve or piston chest;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially upon line 5%5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a detail View illustrating the counection between the sliding rod and the valve actuating rods.

Specification of Letters Patent.

State kexhaust passage.

LIQUID-ELEVATOR;

Patented J an 29, 191%. serial no. nance.

ln carrying out the invention, use is made of a receptacle in the form of a tank having intake and exhaust passages, and which is adapted to be inserted within a mine or other shaft submerged in the water at the bottom thereof. A pipe leading from a suitable source of air or steam with the upper portion of the tank or receptacle, and a valve mechanism controls the flow of pressure to the tank. Asfwater flows into the tank through the intake opening and reaches a predetermined level therein, the valve mechanism operates to admit pressure to the interior of the tank, whereupon the liquid is forced from the tank through the After the liquid has been exhausted from the tank, the valve mechanism is actuated to terminate the inflow of pressure and to exhaust the pressure within the tank, whereupon the intake passage opens to allow water to again enter the tank or receptacle. The operation is repeated automatically until the water within the shaft is exhausted or the pressure supply shut ofl.

ln the drawings illustrating a practical embodiment of the invention, 10 indicates the tank or receptacle which may be formed of sheet metal and may be of any preferred size. The tank is provided at its upper and lower ends with necks 1.1 and 12 respectively, tothe latter of which is connected a T-member 13, the oppositely disposed portions of which are connected to intake and exhaust ducts 14: and 15. Arranged within the duct 141i is a check valve 16, the latter opening inwardly, while a similar valve 17 is arranged in the exhaust duct 15 and opens outwardly. It is apparent from this construction that liquid may flow into the tank through the valve 16, and whenV pressure is applied to the interior of the tank, the liquid will be forced therefrom through the valve 17 and the said pressure will operate to maintain the valve 16 in closed position.

Mounted upon the upwardly extending neck 11 upon the tank is a valve chest body 18, one side of which is bored to provide a cylinder 19 within which a main valve or piston 20 is arranged for reciprocation. rllhe valve chest body may be bolted to the neck 11 as shown, and the ends of the cylinder are closed by heads or plates Q1. The piston or slide valve 20 is provided inwardly from its ends with concave portions as shown, and

pressure communicates y lll) packing rings 22 are arranged around the piston at its ends and intermediate portion as shownV to Veffect a. tight engagement of such portions with a bushing or liner 23 forming the interior surface of the cylindrical bore.

,Communicating with the interior of the cylinder inwardly .from one end thereof is a Yfiuid pressure pipe 24C, while correspondingly arranged adjacent the opposite end of the cylinder is an exhaustpipe Q5. These pipes communicate with annular channels Z6 and 27 respectively arranged around the bore of the cylinder, and theY liner or bushing is provided with spaced apertures 28 arranged in spaced series around its periph-v ery whereby communication between the channels 26' and 27 and the interior of the valve chamber is had. The cylinder is also provided with a centrally arranged channel 29, the same being similar to the channels 26 and 27, and which also communicates with the interior of the piston or valve chamber by means of spaced openings in the liner 2?).

` The channel 29 communicates with the intepiston or valve is moved to its limit in the opposite direction, such communication will be terminated, and communication will be established between the duct or opening SO and the exhaust pipe Then the valve is in intermediatel position. as illustrated in Fig. 4, the central piston ring 22 will close f the channel Q9 and the duct or opening 30.

Arranged at one side of the valve chest and preferably intermediate the ends thereof is a pilot or control valve 3l. This valve may be of any preferred shape or construction,4 however. the sliding D-valve is shown in the present instance. VPorts B2 are provided in the valve chest and extend from adjacent the pilot valve in opposite directions to communicate with the opposite ends of the cylinder. The inner extremities of theseI ports are adapted to open and close alternately upon sliding movement of the valve 31.Y An exhaust port 33 is also provvidedat the central part of the valve chest.

1 and communicates with the pilot valve at oneend, being connected at its opposite end Vby means of a branch pipe 34 to the exhaust pipe 25. The arrangement is such that Vwlienthe D-valve 3l is moved to its limit inV one direction. communication is established between the pressure box, which is indicated generally at 35, and one end of the main or pressure valve cylinder, and at the same time the opposite cud of the cylinder is in communication with the exhaust port 232),. lVhen the valve 31 has been moved to its limit in the opposite direction, communica tion of the various ports are reversed. branch pressure pipe 3G connects the main pipe Q4 with the pressure port 1li-l, and it will be apparent that sliding movement of the valve 31 operates to reciprocate the main valve or piston 20 within its cylinder.

Arranged within the neck ll beneath the valve chest and disposed laterally at one end thereof is a shaft- 3'7 to which is connected a rod 38, the latter extending rearwardly from the shaft 37 and across the central parl of the said neck. The free end of this rod is forked and is pivoted to a similarly formed end of a rer-ond rod lt, the latn ter extending substantially the remainder of the width of the neck 1l. The rod 3%.' rests adjacent its outer end upon a fulcriun formed by a bracket 1l-.(3 bolted or in any other preferred manner secured to the inner wall of the neck ll remote from tlu` shaft 87. A weight 4 7 is arranged upon the rod 3S beyond the fulcrum whereby the inner end of this rod and the adjacent end of the rod 3S is normally forced upwardly. rock arm 39 is fixed to the shaft 3T and extends adjacent the pressure box B5. A. .sccond shaft 40 is mounted for rotation in the upper portion of the pressure box and pron jects through a.' suitable stuffing box ll therein tothe exterior of the valve chest casing. An arm 4t2 is secured to the ouh wardly projecting portion of this second shaft and is connected to the rock arm l.) b v means'of a link Fixed to the sha'l't lt) within the pressure box is a downwardlyextending arm 44, the same being connected at its free end by a link t5 to the pilot valve 3l. The second shaft l-.O and its arms A112i! t form, in effect, a bell crank lever, and it is obvious from the above that vertical osrillations of the rod 38 will be transmitted through the shaft 37, arm 3S), link l-l, arni l2, shaft i0, arm di, and link 11:3 to reciprocate the slide or pilot valve 3l.

Pivoted as at 11S to the connecting pin for the adjacent ends of the rods 3S and 3S and depending therefrom into the tank l() is a slide rod 49, the said rod heilig held at its lower end in a suitablel bracket 50 secured within the lower neck l2 of the tank. This rod is provided adjacent its lower end nifh vadjustable stops 5l, the latter limiting thi` upward and downward sliding movement of the rod @L9 by engagement with the upper and lower portions respectively ot the bracket 50.

vlioat is slidably arranged upon thi,- slide rod 49, and is of .sullirieni wcigrlt when water within the tank is exhausted lo rest upon the upper stop 3l on the rod td move thc same downwardly, and when nasa-,reo

moved upwardly, engages a stop at the upper end of the rod and rocks the rod 38 upwardly. Q

The slide rod 49 and pilot valve operating mechanism is so arranged that when the slide rod is at the limit of its downward movement, the pilot valve will bemoved to the extreme limit of its right hand move ment, and fluid under pressure in the box 55 will flow through the port at the left h and side of the pressure chest and force the main valve or piston 20 to the extreme limit of its right hand movement. When the piston is in this position, the duct or opening 30 in. the bottom of the valve chest is in communication with the exhaust pipe 25, and the exterior pressure of liquid within which the tank is submerged will operate to open the check valve 16 and to flow through the T-joint 13 and neck 12 into the tank. As the tank fills, the float 52 rides upwardly upon the slide rod 49, and aiirwithin the tank will be expelled therefrom thro-u gh the duct or opening 30 and to the pipe 25 as the liquid enters the bottom of the tank. When the liquid level in the tank has attained such height as to cause the fioat 52 to engage the stop 53 at the upper end of the slide rod 49, the latter will move upwardly, rocking the rod 38 correspondingly and turning the shaft 87 rearwardly. This action of the shaft causes the bell crank within the pressure chest to move the slide or pilot valve 3l to the limit of its left hand movement, whereupon pressure within box 35 enters the port 82 at the right hand side of the pressure chest and slides the piston valve 20 to the extreme limit of its left hand movement. 4This action of the piston valve closes communication between the interior of the tank l() and exhaust pipe 25 and establishes communication. between the pressure pipe 24 and the interior of the tank,

whereupon the liquid within the tank will be forced therefrom through the check valve 17 in the exhaust pipe. It will be understood, of course, that the admission of air pressure to the interior of the tank causes the intake check valve 16 to seat. The exhaust pipe of the tank may be extended to any suitable point for discharge, and it is obvious that the height which the liquic may be raised with the apparatus will depend upon the degree of air pressure in the pipe 24.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that l have provided an extremely simple and yet thoroughly efficient means for raising liquid. The tank l0 when used in a. mine shaft to lift water therefrom may be supported upon suitable beams or rafters within the shaft and at the bottom thereof. The exhaust pipe leads from the lower portion of the tank to any suitable place fordischarge and if desired, the open end of the intake duct 14 may be provided with a screen or strainer to prevent mud, sand, and the like gaining access to the interior of the tank. rlhe inrush of water to the tank causes the float to rise in the `above detailed manner, and when pressure is applied to the pipe 24, the liquid within the tank will be expelled as will be readily understood. The actions of the device are automatic so long as the pressure in the pipe 24 is sufficient to raise the liquid the lrequired distance, and the device needs no attention while working. rlhe weight 47 tends to maintain the rods 38 and 38 at the limit of their upward movement during downward travel of the float upon the sliding rod when liquid is being` forced from the tank bv air pressure, and it is apparent from this construction, that danger of the weight of the rod and the valve operating` links and arms forcing the pilot valve to move downwardly prematurely is obviated.

While the device may be operated either by steam or compressed air, the latter is preferred, and when the elevator is used for removing water from a mine shaft, the air exhaust pipe 25 may be led from the dev'ce to discharge into such parts of the mine as may contain foul air or gas, and require a constant supply of fresh air. In this manner, itis seen that the device acts not only as a means for removing water from the shaft, but also as a source of fresh air supply, whereby the use of air pumps is obviated.

While the above is a description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that various changes in the minor details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, if desired, without departing from the spirit of the invention,

Vor exceeding the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is 1. ln a device of the class described, the combination with a source of fluid supply, a piston for controlling` said supply, a valve for operating said piston, a shaft, a connecti-on between the shaft and said valve whereby the latter will be moved upon rocking movement of the former, a rod secured to said shaft, a second rod pivoted to the end of the first mentioned rod, a fulcrum for the outer end of the second rod, a weight on said second rod beyond said fulcrum, a slide rod connected to the pivot of said first and second mentioned rods, stops on said slide rod, and a float slidably mounted on said slide rod, substantially as described.

In combination, a tank having inlet and exhaust pipes with check valves therein, a source of fluid supply, an outlet in the upper end of said tank, a piston for controlling said fluid supply and said outlet, a valve for operating said piston, a rock shaft for operating said valve, a pair of rods pvoted together at their ends, :L connection stops on the upper and lower ends of' smid l0 between one of said rods and sand rook rod, substantially as described. shaft, the other of said rods being u1 In testimony whereof- I uix my sigl'mture erumed inwardly from its ends, a Weight n presence of two witnesses. on the outer end of the said last mentioned T Y LL A l Y T 1. rod, e vertically disposed rod connected et XB DRD A' XlKIbb one end to said connected rods and depend- Witnesses: ing therefrom into sad'tank, a float slid- M. E. JONES, 'ably mounted on seid Vertical rod, and DWIGHT B. GALT.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D, C. 

